Rockyford to host 55th annual rodeo

Times Contributor  

 

Families and rodeo lovers can look forward to a fun-filled weekend with the Rockyford Lions and Ag Society Club Rodeo just around the corner, July 27-29.

Weekend events include a full daily program of Foothills Cowboys Association rodeo events, pancake breakfasts, BBQ beef suppers, beer gardens and a Saturday night dance featuring live music from the T.C. & Company band. The feature event for the weekend will be miniature wild horse races on Saturday and Sunday.

“We’re doing a lot of local events like relay races, local barrel racing, that sort of thing, and this year we have too small of an event for a midway so we got a company out of Calgary called Astro Jump to bring in blow up slides and jump houses,” said Rockyford Lions President, Kevin Alder.

As the rodeo is drawing near, the organizing leading up to the event has been very, “busy,” according to Alder.

“We just redid the rail on our chuck wagon race track so we’ve been putting a lot of work in there, we’ve been updating some of the buildings on the grounds, painting, we’ve done a lot of work on the grounds this year. As for organizing the events, it’s always a busy time for everybody getting things ready,” he said.

Alder is anticipating a successful rodeo and hopes to pull in anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 spectators over the weekend.

“It’s really dependent on the weather obviously, I would say it’s just been staying the same and I think last year was our best year ever in terms of numbers and money made. The majority of our people are repeat people who come camping, we get the odd people who come for the day, but for the most part, it’s people who have been here before and keep coming back.”

Over the course of ten years of being a part of Rockyford Rodeo, Alder has noticed the trends and has seen what events are the crowd pleasers.

“Bull riding seems to be the one that people like the best and people are really into that, I think our biggest draw is the chucks and the chariots, and we have a great turnout for the local events too, we have great support for local entries,” he said.

Admission prices for the Rockyford Rodeo are $10 for adults 18 and over on Friday, and $15 on Saturday and Sunday. Admission prices for students ages 6-17 are $6 on Friday and $7 on Saturday and Sunday. Children ages 5 and under are free admission. Weekend passes for the family are available and are priced at $100 for two adults and kids ages 17 and under.

The dance will begin at 9 p.m. on Saturday and admission is $10.

“When you come to Rockyford, you get in at one price, and you get to do it all. It’s cheap for the whole family, you’re up close and personal, you’re feet away from the bulls and the chutes, not like in Calgary when you’re a mile back and not really a part of it. I think that’s the biggest thing with small town rodeos,  you’re up close and personal,” said Alder.